OUGD503 - Studio Brief - WWF Poster Development

To support the ecosystem club campaign I wanted to create some posters and advertisements to get the word out to people. I had some initial ideas but I felt like I wanted to take the design away from WWF's normal style which seems to be just photography and text. So I played around digitally with layouts to see what I could come up with.

My first idea was sort of like a more editorial look, like something that might be found in a high fashion magazine. The combination of overlaying text and image and then contrasting this with a bold and bright background draws the eye. However I feel like from a distance the text would not be readable because of its weight and colour over the imagery. One of the most important things about posters is that they should be able to be read as quick as possible so I don't think this would fit. It was enjoyable to experiment with a different sort of style to my usual approach though. 

Next I had this idea that I had seen done by Snask on a printed friends cover. They had these huge letters covered in fauna and foliage with creatures. I thought that this would perfectly represent WWF because I could show each different area of interest that they have through showing their ecosystems. Which directly then links to the ecosystem clubs. So I thought that I would pick 3 of WWF's main areas of interest and portray them in their name: WWF.

I am really pleased with the outcome that I created by simply collaging different tropical plants and animals together. The result is really eye catching and creates a little environment for people to relate to. I wanted to keep the taglines simple so I went with just "Save the...". But after a critique one of my peers suggested that it would be better if the tagline was "Save our..." to make it more personal to the audience and directly link them to the campaign. Hopefully it will the persuade viewer that it is their responsibility to save not someone else's.

I also applied this to the ocean setting, focusing on the coral reefs that are in real trouble from global warming. The combination of the colours really brings the poster to life and shows what beauty there can be found in nature. This will persuade people to take action so they don't lose this beauty for good.  

I wasn't quite sure what to do for the last letter F as there are lots of other important campaigns within WWF yet some are harder to visibly represent than others. For example I am not sure how I could portray global warming and climate change. Would I show the effects of it or what the world was like before it? I think I will wait until my next critique until I work on these posters anymore so I can ask other peoples opinions on how to tackle the F.

OUGD503 - Responsive - Study Task 2 - Brands and Narrative

Seven basic plots of narratives

1. Overcoming the monster - there is an evil force threatening our hero/their world/mankind. The hero must fight and play this monster which often isn’t easy but prevails and gets a great reward. (Think of this monster as a problem - it is a metaphorical monster)
2. Rags to riches - at the beginning our hero is insignificant and dismissed by others, but something happens to elevate them, revealing them to be exceptional. Think the ugly duckling/Aladdin/Superman
3. The Quest - in the quest our hero must set out on a long hazardous journey and will battle all obstacles until they are triumphant. E.g. Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Wizard of Oz.
4. The Voyage and Return - while also based on a journey, the voyage and return is very different from the quest. Here the hero travels out of their normal world into the overwhelming and unknown, and then goes back to the comfort and safety of their own home. E.g. Finding Nemo, Alice in Wonderland
5. Comedy - A story made up of comedic events normally involving mistaken identity, misunderstanding or confusion, resulting in hilarious chaos. E.g. Bridget Jones, Some like it hot Comedy in advertising is often used to show the alternative situation that you would get using other brands. 
6. Tragedy - This is the story without a happy ending. While our other archetypes have seen triumphant heroes and slain monsters, this plot takes a different turn and ends in loss or death. Think Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet. Use with caution we tend to see tragedy most frequently used within charity adverts to apply shock tactics and emotional blackmail.
7. Rebirth - Sees our hero falling under a dark spell whether this is sleep, sickness or enchantment - before breaking free and being rescued. E.g. Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast. Think of the consumers time away from the brand and then finding it and being reborn.

WWF

Adjectives for the brand:

• Environmentally friendly
• Caring
• Protecting
• Strong
• Conserving

 Facts of WWF:

- 50 years old

- Works in 100 countries

- Supported by 1.2 million members in the US alone

- 5 million members globally

- Tagline "Because together, anything is possible"

What is the brand trying to communicate?

WWF tries to communicate a friendly, caring almost mothering nature. It wants to show us that it can protect and conserve the world and it's animals. The facts about this brand make it seem that it is achieving this - it has a lot of members globally and works in lots of countries. This shows that it is slowly trying to make the world a better place. 

Can you apply an emotion to the facts?

Supporting WWF can create a sense of pride for members knowing that they are helping/protecting the planet. Also in their advertising WWF can often use emotional campaigns to persuade people to donate in a sort of emotional blackmail to make people feel guilty for doing nothing. 
Can you communicate these facts in an engaging story, which highlights the values or benefits of the brand.

I think that a narrative with the theme of Rebirth would suit this brand. As we use the planet Earth as the protagonist needs the consumers help in order to be freed from its shackles almost. The dark spell it is under could be represented as global warming. This will show the brands values of protecting and preserving for the good of all. 

OUGD503 - Responsive - WWF Brief - Research

After thinking about how to make the members of WWF an active community I looked for inspiration in the form of other successful, active communities.

Rapha Cycle Club

Rapha is a cycling brand that sells equipment for cyclists. They have a global campaign that brings groups of cyclists together to socialise and do events together. This is my aim for WWF - to bring the community together to interact and meet each other rather than blindly giving £5 a month to causes they don't really know about. The design of this part of the website is very minimal and straight to the point. 

They also provide benefits to the members of the clubs like events, equipment hire, magazines and competitions. Each one of these elements is carefully planned and beautifully design - especially the magazine which is printed on coloured stock in one colour. I feel like this might be relevant for WWF but using recycled materials and minimal ink for their publication. 

I also like the fact that they have a map of all the clubs that they have around the world. It means that they could possibly collaborate with some events or have the chance to meet some new people from a different culture with the same interests as you. 

Macmillan

Macmillian cancer support has really activated it's members within the last few years. The coffee mornings have become a big hit because it successfully encourages people to get together for a common goal and a common cause. The whole vibe of the get involved page of the website promotes togetherness - it's all about us and we. Also the use of the twitter hashtag "#TeamMacmillan" supports this saying that everyone who supports the charity is a part of the team.